This application relates to a gas scrubber system for removing contaminants in the air in a work area. More particularly, this application relates to an improved gas scrubber system for use in a vehicle paint spray booth which reduces required power and resulting noise over prior art gas scrubbers.
Several modern industrial environments have ongoing processes which result in contaminants in environmental air. Many of these environments require workers to be in them, at least periodically, and thus it is important that the air within the area be cleaned. Further, contaminants in the air must be removed prior to its being vented to atmosphere.
One industrial environment that typically contains air contaminants is a vehicle paint spray booth. In such systems, a vehicle is moved along a conveyor within the booth and paint is sprayed onto the body of the vehicle. Paint particles typically contaminate the air within such a paint spray booth. Although many painting operations are now done by robotic members, operators must still be in the paint spray booths, at least periodically. Also all this air is typically vented to atmosphere. For these reasons, it is necessary that air be removed from the paint spray booth and thoroughly cleaned. Also, since operators are within the booth, it is desirable to clean the air within the booth with a minimum amount of noise.
Prior art gas scrubber systems are known for removing paint particles from the air in a paint spray booth. Typically, a gas scrubber member mixes a liquid with the air. Contaminants in the air are entrained in the liquid, which is separated from the air downstream of the gas scrubber member. One known prior art system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,010, wherein the disclosed gas scrubber includes a complicated series of walls which creates constrictions to intermix air and water. The water entrains paint particles in the air, and the water and paint particles are removed from the air downstream of the gas scrubber member. Due to the complicated wall structure such a system may be difficult to clean.
Another prior art gas scrubber system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,784, in which the disclosed gas scrubber includes an inwardly extending member directing the water and air into the gas scrubber, where it eventually encounters a restriction, which forces the water inwardly, mixing it with the air. This restriction is aligned with the inlet, and the paint spray booth. In such a system mixing noises could possibly travel directly back into the paint spray booth, which could be undesirable.